Hillsborough boys serve up first volleyball season

Sudol expects improvement from 16-man squad

By: John E. Powers
   
   Todd Sudol, an economics and U.S. History teacher at Hillsborough High School, has added to his teaching responsibilities this spring. Sudol, also the HHS swimming and girls’ volleyball coach, is directing the first-year boys’ volleyball team for the Raiders.
   The Raiders were beaten by West Windsor-Plainsboro South 25-12, 25-21 Friday in the program’s first-ever meet. The Raiders were scheduled to play host to Plainfield Monday, then play at Watchung Hills Wednesday and Marlboro Thursday.
   Sudol and the school’s athletic director Mike Fanizzi have shaped their schedule with mostly first-year or young programs.
   "I’m busy teaching 16 athletic guys who have never played the game of volleyball," said Sudol, who led the Raiders to State Public A, Skyland Conference and Somerset County titles in swimming this past winter. "It’s a challenge. Playing other first-year teams is a good measuring stick for us. It’s going to give us a better gauge to see where we’re at.
   "We’re doing what we need to do to improve," Sudol said. "We lost two games in a row to West Windsor South, but the kids are walking away a better team because they are played a better team. The more time we spend on the court the better we’ll be. We’ll be a much different team in the second half of the season."
   Sudol said that most of his players are athletic and the names are familiar.
   Senior Matt Donahue, a running back and defensive back for the football team, is the team’s middle blocker along with another football player, Chris Cichon. The setters are senior Mohan Zang and freshman Kyle Donahue.
   "We took a good number of freshmen and sophomores to build a team," said Sudol, who also coached the first-year girls’ program last fall. "We’ve got some good junior and seniors athletes we can build around."
   Sudol is talking about guys like senior Alex Watson and senior Chris Szczesniak, the Raiders’ punter last fall, who is also a hitter.
   "It’s nice having these kids, they are aggressive and they don’t give up," Sudol said. "We were losing to a veteran team like West Windsor – they’ve been around for years and we were losing 18-6, but my guys didn’t give up. They were playing with the same intensity as if it was 0-0. I like those guys. They bring a lot more than their skill. They have a lot of energy and enthusiasm."
   When Matt Donahue goes to the back line, senior Vikram Rajpurohit moves up. Junior Connor Cocoran and sophomore Mike Argueta are also part of the rotation along with junior Joe Sheridan. Pat Fedroff, baseball star Tim Fedroff’s brother, is a sophomore that Sudol is very high on. Pat Fedroff decided to leave baseball and give volleyball a chance.
   "He’s a big-time sophomore – he’s a good hitter, but he’s also a very good defensive player as well," Sudol said. "He assures me he’s a volleyball player to stay."
   Sudol had 50 players try out for the team and he kept 16.
   "To make this team is an accomplishment," Sudol said. "Our success will be measured in our improvement from game-to-game and we’ve already seen it. They get better every time they take the court. They are experiencing the game for the first time. None of them grew up playing it. It’s all brand new to them."
   Kyle Downey, a freshman and brother of Sean Downey, who had such a big hand in the Raiders’ memorable swimming season this past winter, is one of the centerpiece players Sudol wants to build around.
   "It’s good having a relationship with them as a teacher – they understand me as a coach as well, aside from the game," Sudol said. "It’s like swimming. I’m getting them right at the varsity level."
   Sudol said that the competitive nature that most of his players have brought from their background in other sports will be a big plus.
   "I have a variety of kids, three football players, a couple of soccer players, a swimmer, a track and field person, some from basketball and some from baseball," Sudol said. "They have a good game mentality. They understand what it means to be a team. They can appreciate the discipline you need in a game and in practice."
   Being a teacher full-time in the high school this year has also helped.
   "I was able to talk about the sport and the kids took an interest in it," he said. "I’ve had my eye on some of these kids all year, particularly their height and speed. I knew some of them would fit the role as volleyball players really well. Hey, you look at the other sports we have here – and its taken maybe three or four years to get to a strong level. I told our guys that by the second half of this season we’ll have a pretty good team."